Fewer than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its initial guidance on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and lifelong care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable outlook, the production of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to expand access, via measures such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may see weight return after a year of halting the drug, when their typical appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for contracting health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.